Although we’re in the midst of the school summer holiday, now is a great time to plan ahead for the coming academic year. We all want our children to excel in life, and that includes teaching and modeling the skills and habits that lead to personal and professional success.
Summer is the perfect season to put a healthy routine into practice, now that we’re not faced with the same distractions and time constraints that are part of the hustle and bustle of the school year.
We can start building healthy family habits by incorporating an exercise routine into our kid’s lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be a formal schedule, but it’s a great idea to find an activity you can enjoy with your kids and set aside specific time slots to exercise together.
Whether it be brisk walks, attending group workout classes, swimming, or a weekend hike, the key is consistency to reap maximum health benefits for us and our kids. By establishing a schedule and demonstrating a healthy work-life balance that includes regular workouts, we are showing our kids a model they can live by for years to come.
While exercise is a great way to help our kids avoid the downfalls of childhood obesity, we don’t always need to be in motion! Designating periods of emotional bonding, mental relaxation, and distraction from academic pressures is a good way to promote holistic wellness. Kids need to learn how to relate to their parents beyond simply following directions, doing chores, and getting their homework done. So there should also be space for ‘chilling out’ together on the couch while watching a movie, sports, or a favorite TV show. Playing a board game, doing arts and crafts, reading, or chatting about dreams and goals are also therapeutic ways to relax together.
In addition to establishing routines, prioritizing stress management, and incorporating regular physical activity, there are several additional habits worth considering for achieving optimal performance academically.
One important factor is maintaining proper nutrition. The food choices we make significantly impact our energy levels, cognitive function effectiveness, as well as overall health status. While our kids may not understand this yet, we want to set the stage for the way they’ll look at food and the habits we form around eating.
We want our kids to enjoy healthy, balanced meals consisting of nutrient-dense whole foods, rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, while limiting high sugar/sodium/fat processed options, which ultimately cause lethargy & poor concentration during studying moments. (You can read more here about healthy lunches for kids.)
Additionally, incorporating effective stress management techniques within one’s daily life greatly aids successful academic outcomes. High-stress levels hinder focus, memory recall, and information processing efficiency, thus negatively impacting learning capabilities. Find what works best for you! Whether it’s deep breathing exercises, meditation, journaling your thoughts, or engaging in artistic outlets, the key is to identify healthy coping mechanisms that allow you and your kids to effectively manage stress levels.
Furthermore, academic success also depends upon effective time management strategies. Let’s teach our kids to prioritize tasks by utilizing productivity tools such as planners or digital calendars; show them how to break large assignments into smaller manageable sub-tasks; and set realistic deadlines for each task. These are skills that many adults have not properly learned, so it’s a huge blessing to help our kids learn the power of planning while they’re still under our charge.
Lastly, fostering a positive mindset plays an integral role in achieving academic success. By cultivating a growth-oriented attitude, you view challenges as opportunities for personal development rather than obstacles impeding progress. Embrace failures as learning experiences; seek constructive feedback, and constantly strive towards self-improvement.
In conclusion, creating healthy habits, including routines, sufficient quality sleep, regular exercise, and other lifestyle aspects, encourages optimal academic performance. Implementing these practices in our homes will help our kids to improve concentration, memory recall capabilities, enhancing cognitive functions, reducing stress levels, and boosting overall well-being. By prioritizing a physical health alongside intellectual endeavors, we’re positioning our children for long-term, sustainable educational achievements while maintaining balanced lives.